The reboot comes 35 years after director George Miller's 1979 film Mad Max, which starred Mel Gibson in one of his first movie roles. The franchise continued with Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior in 1981 and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985. (Fun fact: the mid-'80s flick featured powerhouse Tina Turner in a rare acting role; her theme song "We Don't Need Another Hero" is still a pop classic.)

This time around, British hunk Hardy takes over Gibson's role as road warrior Max. Shaved-headed Theron, for her part, plays commander Imperator Furiosa. (The Oscar winner cut off her blonde locks for the role, which was filmed in the desert of Namibia for seven months. She debuted the new look in June 2012.)

"I wanted to tell a linear story–a chase that starts as the movie begins and continues for 110 minutes," Miller told EW.